The objective for this two phase project is to validate surface loading criterion for pipelines with shallow burial. This is the report of the first phase of this project which focused on field measurements of the stress in shallow buried pipe while it is being crossed by heavy equipment.
During the second phase, this data will be compared with the predictions of the most prevalent models currently used for surface load stress analysis for pipelines with shallow cover. The objective of the two phase study is to have a validated model for surface loading of shallow buried pipe. In phase I, three buried pipe segments at a field test site were instrumented with strain gauges to make direct measurements of the stress in the pipeline as heavy equipment crossed over the pipeline. The data generated in this first phase and in the future additional data from a second phase will be compared with the current commonly used models used for surface load stress analysis during a planned second phase. The report of the Phase I research is available at no charge to members and for purchase by non-PRCI members through the PRCI website.